Florence,the cradle of Renaissance
Florence, a timeless city away from fashions. Florence, perfect city, cradle of Italian Renaissance and home to the great poets Dante and Petrarch. Florence is a city to visit at least once in a lifetime or to return to and be perpetually enchanted.
Starting from Grand Hotel Duomo in Pisa, you can organise a pleasant day trip to the Tuscan capital, setting your alarm clock early in the morning so you can enjoy breakfast at the hotel. Florence is about one hour from Pisa and is easy to reach by train or bus. And when you return in the evening, there will be enough time to end your day with an aperitif on the terrace overlooking the Tower and then dine in our restaurant.
WHAT SEE AND DO IN FLORENCE
Santa Maria del Fiore
Contemplating the architectural, historical, cultural, and artistic richness of Florence is a true experience that is concentrated within the actual city. One of the most beautiful monuments of Florence is undoubtedly the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore, symbol of the city, as well as the third largest church in the world, with its characteristic façade and the Brunelleschi dome. Opposite is the Baptistery of San Giovanni and Giotto's Bell Tower is next to the Duomo, as many as 414 steps to climb to reach the top but the view once there rewards every step. Piazza Duomo can be reached on foot in 10 minutes from the train station of Santa Maria Novella, walking along one of the most elegant streets of Florence.
Piazza della Signoria and The Uffizi
Another important stop in Florence is Piazza della Signoria. Here is the fountain of Neptune, Palazzo Vecchio and the Loggia dei Lanzi. A few steps away is the Uffizi Gallery where some of the most important masterpieces of Italian art are kept. The Renaissance works of inestimable value like "The Birth of Venus" and "Spring" by Botticelli are visited every year by thousands of tourists from all over the world. Many other universal masterpieces are kept and exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery, their authorship is to be entrusted to some eminent names of the history of art: Cimabue, Caravaggio, Giotto, Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian, Mantegna, Dürer, Rubens, Parmigianino, Rembrandt, Canaletto and Botticelli. Lastly, inside the Academy Museum are seven sculptures by Michelangelo, among which the famous David.
Ponte Vecchio and Palazzo Pitti
Ponte Vecchio is the symbol of the city of Florence. Crossing it you will notice the ancient goldsmiths' shops and the jewellers' shop windows, ideal place to stop and buy a precious souvenir. The peculiarity of Ponte Vecchio is that it is almost entirely covered with just a small portion open to onto the Arno river.
Once you reach the Oltrarno, it is mandatory to continue to Palazzo Pitti that once was the residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Today, it has become a museum complex, comprising the Palatine Gallery, the Winter Quarter, the Modern Art Gallery, the Porcelain Museum, the Silver Museum, the Carriages Museum and the Costume Gallery. Surrounded by the ancient Grand Ducal Gardens, the Boboli Gardens, an example of Italian gardens, embellished with grottoes, fountains, lawns and paths. A pleasant place in the heart of Florence.
Once you reach the Oltrarno, it is mandatory to continue to Palazzo Pitti that once was the residence of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. Today, it has become a museum complex, comprising the Palatine Gallery, the Winter Quarter, the Modern Art Gallery, the Porcelain Museum, the Silver Museum, the Carriages Museum and the Costume Gallery. Surrounded by the ancient Grand Ducal Gardens, the Boboli Gardens, an example of Italian gardens, embellished with grottoes, fountains, lawns and paths. A pleasant place in the heart of Florence.
The Basilica of Santa Croce and Dante’s places
Once in Piazza Santa Croce, you can admire one of the largest Franciscan churches in Italian Gothic style: Basilica di Santa Croce. The church is the burial place of great artists, scientists, scholars and the powerful of Florence: Michelangelo, Rossini, Machiavelli, and the Pisa-born Galileo Galilei. The most important of all sons of Florence, Dante Alighieri, was not buried in the Basilica of Santa Croce, but there is a memorial monument dedicated to him as he is buried in Ravenna, where he died in exile from Florence. And if you would like to follow a tour dedicated to Dante, an essential stop is the Casa Museo di Dante, the Dante House Museum, located in Via Santa Margherita, and just there, within those walls, the poet would have met his Beatrice for the first time.
Shopping in the shops of the most prestigious fashion brands
But Florence is not only culture and art, but the city is also perfect for a luxury shopping session. You can have fun shopping along the luxurious fashion street, Via Tornabuoni, an elegant street in the historic centre of Florence, with the shop windows of the most prestigious fashion brands, symbols of Made in Italy all over the world. To end with a very tasty break with that typical Florentine flavour, we suggest trying what is defined as the best focaccia in Florence at "All'Antico Vinaio".
